Dark Chaos
by TheZorker
Summary: Murky's after the Chaos Emeralds. Will he be stopped in time?
1. Enter Dark Chaos

Dark Chaos  
  
A Sequel to Shadow in Silhouette  
  
Chapter 1: A Different Shade of Chaos  
  
"I was born on an island, in the heavens," Knuckles murmured to himself.  
  
It was a boring job, guarding the Master Emerald, but someone had to do it.  
  
"Especially when the Chaos emeralds were scattered ag...what?"  
  
Knuckles looked up, frowning. It was a grey, starship would be the best description of it. And the ship headed this way, rattling, as if it was falling apart. And it looked like it was going to crash into Angel Island!  
  
Knuckles dove for cover as it screeeeeeeeched to a stop, coming close to the Master Emerald! The hood popped open, revealing two figures, and a vague presence. The first, a small grey clothed man. His bluish tint made him look vaguely smurflike. The other was a big brown furball, resembling nothing more then Archamedes in that one part of Sword in the Stone, only with a longer nose and less intelligent eyes. The presence was pitch black, and it felt familiar. But it couldn't be *that*, could it?  
  
"There it is, Lurky. The Master Emerald! Only with this power can we be thwarted this time. So we'll take it first!"  
  
"I'll go get it, Murky!" said the Furball, clambering out, pressing his hand down hard on the smaller one's helmet, causing it to slip over his eyes.  
  
"LUR-KEEEE!" the man screamed.  
  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Knuckles shouted, "You can't take the Master Emerald!"  
  
"Just watch me, you, you...what are you anyway?" Murky gave up, aiming a gun at the indignant Echidna.  
"I'm getting it Lurky!"  
  
Knuckles jumped Murky's gloom blast, gliding his way to Lurky, intent on giving him the ol Knuckles 1-2. There was only one small problem, Lurky was between Knuckles and the Master Emerald, so when Lurky was sent sprawling, he smacked into the emerald. It did what fragile gemstones had a tendency to do.  
  
"Oh no," sobbed Knuckles, "not again!"  
  
"Murky, do you feel like we're falling?"  
  
"I read this would happen! Quickly, back into the space-ship! Before the island crashes!"  
  
Knuckles was going to have to find his own way off, and quickly.  
  
"If I hurry, I just might be able to reach Tails' workshop before," Knuckles glanced down at the approaching ocean, and jumped.  
  
"Now that we've subverted our friend here, and destroyed the Master Emerald," Murky chuckled, watching the pieces of the Master Emerald scatter wildly when the island dropped , "We just have to find the seven chaos emeralds, and allow him to feed..."  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Tails, wasn't at his workshop, however. Knuckles had to take the train past Station Square, all the way to Green Hill, where he and Sonic were relaxing in the warm autumn sun. Tails saw the bedraggled Knuckles first. "What happened, Knuckles? You look like you just had an Eggman Encounter."  
  
"The Master Emerald shattered again."  
  
"And? Isn't that your department? To fix that kind of thing?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Yes, Sonic," Knuckles said shortly, "but there's more to it. I saw Chaos." Knuckles gave a complete description of the mornings events.  
  
Tails and Sonic exchanged a look. "That man'll be after the Chaos Emeralds," Tails said, slowly.  
  
"Right. And that, my 'partners', is your 'department'," Knuckles said. "I thought you might like to go work on it while I repair the Master Emerald."  
  
"Sonic, if that's who I think it is, there's more to it then that. I'll go find Brian."  
  
"Brian?" Knuckles asked, startled.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Knuckles my friend. Sorry about being short with you, you did play the right card. You do that, Tails, I'm going to go get the Tornado ready. We need to find those emeralds!"  
  
Knuckles just smirked. "One of these days, we'll have them collected *before* anything like this happens."  
  
"You know they don't stay in one place for very long, Kuncklehead," Sonic said, all ready racing away.  
  
Knuckles grimaced, but headed back for Station Square, where he could feel pieces of the Master Emerald calling.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"All right," said Brian, who was playing catch with his dog, "I'll go get Rainbow. If it is Murky Dismal after the Chaos Emeralds, who knows what he's planning?"  
  
Across the street, another hedgehog listened in.  
  
"Rainbow? Sonic? Chaos Emeralds?" she said, "If there's something going on, then I want to help! This time, I'm *going* to help!" Amy stamped her foot into the ground. She turned around, heading back to her home, "Forget the grocery... where did I leave my hammer?" 


	2. Unexpected Allies

Chapter 2: Unexpected Alliance  
  
Rainbow, accompanied by Brian, touched down on the grass in front of Tails workshop and airstrip.  
  
"What's the issue Sonic?" she asked, dismounting as Brian and Twink slipped off behind her. "Brian said it was important, even to me. I'm not supposed to be involved in events on Earth."  
  
Sonic went over the events last time he tangled with Chaos [see Sonic Adventure 1 -ed], as well as Knuckles encounter with Murky and Lurky.  
  
"That does sound serious," said Starlite.  
  
"Murky's found a way to get to Earth, that's bad enough," said Rainbow, "but he's found away to corrupt a powerful elemental force. This could be disasterous!"  
  
"So what are we going to..." began Tails.  
  
"Why are you three talking to empty air?" asked Amy, tapping her hammer on the ground expectantly.  
  
  
  
"Who's that?" asked Brian. This one wasn't on his paper route.  
  
"That's Amy," Tails whispered to him, "She thinks she's Sonic's girlfriend."  
  
"I heard you talking about the return of the icky Chaos," Amy said, accusingly. "Knuckles sounded panicked. Why are you two waiting around here, huh?"  
  
"How exactily do you think we're going to find them, Amy? It's not like you can help us."  
  
"I *can* help! You know I'm can!"  
  
Rainbow observed the feisty pink-haired hedgehog. This was getting insane bhow many people knew of her... she blamed Murky..  
  
Brian's eyes widened as Rainbow's hand reach for her belt. "This explanation is gong to take a while," he mumbled.  
  
******  
  
Knuckles reached down, scraping a piece of the emerald, depositing it in a pouch.  
  
"One down. Maybe another hundred to go. Glah! I hate having to go through this. Which way?" He looked around, "That way, I think," and frowned.  
  
"Am I being watched?"  
  
Lightning cracked across the sky, and Knuckles abandoned the idea to keep moving. The only thing worse than searching for the shattered pieces of the emerald was doing it in the rain. The haunted hills were bad enough.  
  
******  
  
Murky brought the gloomshuttle in for a perfect landing. Which he could do when Lurky was interuppting him. The swamp blurbled nearby.   
  
"Heheheee... sounds like home. Bottle some of that Lurky. The emerald is around here somewhere,"  
  
"Ok, Murky! I'll bottle some!"  
  
"Why do you repeat everything I say, Lurky?"  
  
The furball stared at him, then scooped down with a massive bottle. "I'm bottling it Murky."  
  
Murky sighed, then looked around. "I feel the energy... I think it's.... there! Dark Chaos! It's for you!"  
  
A slurping noise was here as a black mass emerged from the shuttle, and the oozed it's way toward the yellow emerald Murky held. Murky dropped it, and the mass collapsed in on it.  
  
The emerald faded, until merely a yellow glimmer could be seen from the center. Murky cackled.  
  
"One down, six to go, Lurky. Let's keep moving."  
  
Murky manuvered the gloomshuttle back into the air, glancing down at his panel for the next location of energy.  
  
Another airship watched him go, and after it was confident that he wasn't going to return, a small grappling hook descended, collecting the formerly yellow Chaos Emerald, retreiving into the craft.  
  
"I owe him one... and I know who I can call on. He knows *her*."  
  
******  
  
"No! Rainbow, I should be going with you!"  
  
"I'm sorry Brian. Starlite can only carry three of us, and that includes Twink. The Tornado only carries two. I need you to wait here to keep contact between me and Sonic!"  
  
"But, I want to help too," Brian protested.  
  
"You can Brian. Once Sonic comes back, take the key and meet us in Rainbowland."  
  
"Sorry, Brian. We've got to get moving! To the Tornado, Tails!"  
  
Brian watched crestfallen as Sonic and Tails ran back towards Miles's workshop. Rainbow gaven him an apologetic wave, and Amy held her palms upward, holding on to Rainbows back, even as Twink held her.  
  
For about five minutes, Brian watched them depart. Then he felled a sudden chill as a shadow crossed over his body. He looked up to see a familiar sight: Robotnik's pod.  
  
"You want to help, do you?" came the voice. "I need ground support to go after the Emeralds myself. A robot body that you can use. Three teams, racing against Murky Dismal and the Dark Chaos. Care to join?"  
  
"How can I trust you?" Brian shouted.  
  
In answer, a large piece of grey crystal fell into his hands. It was warm, and it tingled with energy in his hands.  
  
"A chaos emerald," Brian said in awe, noting the small yellow color at its center.  
  
"Murky got to the first one before me. His Dark Chaos is growing as we speak. Can you risk not to?"  
  
"All right, Robotnik. I'll help you." 


	3. Musical Interlude: Brian's Theme

Brian's theme: Watch Me.  
  
Why are the fates never kind?  
  
How come I'm always left behind.  
  
I know I could help out, just given the chance.  
  
But I always just get to watch, never to dance.  
  
I stay up, never cry.  
  
I can help out, just let me try!  
  
Watch me stand tall.  
  
Watch me come through it all.  
  
Watch me turn the night away.  
  
Watch me save the day.  
  
Watch me beat the odds  
  
Just watch me!  
  
Now I'm by the Eggman's side.  
  
Working to stem the tide.  
  
No, I don't like him.  
  
I just have to trust him.  
  
We'll work together, gathering the gems.  
  
Spotting Murky & Chaos, staying ahead of them.  
  
We'll do it. We just have to try.  
  
Watch me stand tall.  
  
Watch me come through it all.  
  
Watch me turn the night away.  
  
Watch me save the day.  
  
Watch me beat the odds  
  
Just watch me! 


End file.
